Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII '''(8th January 1496 - 19th August 1510), commonly known as ''the Boy-King,'' was King of France and Navarre from the death of his brother Philippe V in 1501 until his own mysterious death nine years later. He was the second monarch of the House of Valois d'Orléans, and the second to also be proclaimed in at a young age. Charles' short reign was dominated by his ambitious and scheming uncle, Louis de Valois, who served as joint Regent of the Kingdom throughout almost all of Charles VIII's reign. Charles had only around nine months of anything resembling personal reign, from the time of his coronation in November 1509 until his death in August 1510, under suspicious circumstances. Figures from the time suggest that Charles VIII was a promising youth, and could have been a successful King had he survived. It was a common belief that the young King was ordered killed by his uncle, Louis, who wished to regain power after having lost it since Charles' coronation. The young King's body was found mangled at the base of a high tower, which massively suggested foul play as there was little way that Charles could have come to fall out of that tower by accident. Suspicion was cast upon Louis due to the fact that he was the next-in-line to the throne should Charles die childless, which was another reason that pointed to Louis being behind Charles' death. Nonetheless, the death of the young King spelled the beginning of the end for the House of Valois d'Orléans, as the then Louis XI proved to be an incompetent ruler who died heirless. Pre-Reign Life (1496 - 1501) '''Birth and Early Years Charles VIII was born on January 8th, 1496 in Orléans, the seat of his father Henri, who was Duke of Orléans. He was the youngest of three children, his elder brother was Philippe de Valois and his elder sister was Louise de Valois. Louise died in 1497, when Charles was just one, while Philippe would die in 1501 as a result of a smallpox outbreak. As a result, Charles was the longest surviving of the children of Henri d'Orléans and Jeanne de Bourgogne. His father was influential in French politics, holding high sway as the heir presumptive to the throne after the childless King Charles VII. The future Charles VIII was brought up in Orléans during his earliest years, alongside his mother and elder brother. His father was often absent, as he was quite often present in Paris to participate in the governance of the realm. Meanwhile, his uncle Louis handled the majority of affairs in the Duchy of Orléans itself, which caused unease with the Duchesse Jeanne, who had grown to mistrust Louis with good reason. This was the beginning of what would become his entire life, conflict between his mother and his uncle, as well as constant scheming during his reign. Reign of Philippe V In 1499, the childless King Charles VII died and left the senior line of the House of Valois extinct. As a result, the Orléans branch of the House of Valois was set to inherit the throne. His father, Duc Henri, had died just three months before from Typhoid Fever, which made his elder brother (the 6-year-old Philippe) the new King, a title he ascended to immediately. With his brother having become King, the 3-year-old Charles became heir apparent to the throne of France. He, along with his brother and mother, were moved to Paris to be in the capital to ensure power. There was immediate scheming however, which caused the lives of the two brothers to be very uneasy. The two had always been close and remained so when Philippe ascended, and the two were almost constant targets of their uncle Louis. Louis came to be a scourge on their very lives, for he had an extreme ambition about him that were constant threats to the children's lives. The Dowager Duchesse Jeanne did her best to protect her children, though there was no proof against Louis that could have him imprisoned. A faction in favour of Louis presented an ultimatum to Jeanne (who by this time had taken place as Regent) to yield the regency to Louis. A compromise was eventually reached, where a co-regency was established. There was massive unease however, which led to increasing tension which would continue into even Charles' reign which would come soon. Charles' elder brother Philippe would soon succumb to smallpox just two years later, however. The outbreak would hit Paris quickly and hard, though Charles would never fall ill with smallpox. The death of Philippe V meant that Charles was the next-in-line to the French throne, with him ascending at the age of six under the name ''Charles VIII, ''the co-regency of Louis de Valois and Jeanne de Bourgogne was continued into his reign, though as such as expected to be extended for longer than it was under Philippe due to his younger age. There was greater instability with yet another minority succession in the Orléans branch. His uncle, Louis, reportedly became more scheming and ambitious after the death of Philippe V, as this made him the immediate heir to the throne should Charles die. He also became more impatient, believing that the longer Charles was allowed to live the greater chance there would be of stability being restored and their being another heir produced. There was a large amount of contention at the time and as such Louis believed he could, for the time being, manipulate the young King and attempt to cast Dowager Duchesse Jeanne out of power. His ultimate goal from the very beginning was for Charles to die, however. Reign (1501 - 1510) Ascension and Conflict Upon Charles' ascension to the throne, the ever-ambitious Louis began to scheme further and more closely to plot his ascension to the throne. A worry came about however for the future of the dynasty, as Louis had failed to consummate the marriage with his ever-neglected wife. The other regent, Charles' mother Jeanne, believed that Louis was inept and should not share the regency. There was reason for her to believe this, Louis was a wasteful glutton and a drunk at that. Jeanne feared for the life of Charles, her last remaining child, as the French court at that time had grown into a den of scheming and dishonesty. As such, the Dowager Duchess had her son hastily moved to le Château de Plessis-lèz-Tours, where it was believed that he would be safer than in Paris proper. She permitted that only a small court should be kept around her son, though she could not keep him safe from Louis. She apparently once even attempted to have the co-regent killed, but her attempt failed. There was a hotbed of conflict and turmoil at the beginning of the young King's reign, which would continue throughout. Upbringing and Education The tutors who surrounded the young King were known to comment on his ability and tact. WIP Character Synopsis Appearance Charles VIII was said to be a handsome young man. He was tall and well-built for his age by the time of his death at fourteen. He was said to resemble his once-beautiful mother more than his father and uncle, who were not the most appealing looking men. It was said that the young King dwarfed contemporaries around his age, having grown to almost a fully grown height by the age of thirteen. He was strong and kept himself well-groomed, as he apparently placed particular emphasis on his appearance. He was the topic of much discussion by young noblewomen during his time, as there was a scurry to find a bride for the young King. He dressed finely in the latest fashions, though towards the end of his reign and after his coronation, he appeared more often-than-not in a crown rather than a regular cap as was fashion, as he admired the finery of his crown. One remarked that this was quite unorthodox, and that this young King was taking France back to the middle-ages when men had to wear crowns to display their authority. His favoured crown was found dented and broken alongside his mangled corpse when he was found dead. Personality Charles VIII was a skilled and courteous young man. He was said to have a greater intelligence than was expected for his young age. He was noted as kind and friendly, though he had a certain authoritative nature around him which befitted a King. It was a common belief that Charles would have made an excellent King, had he been given the chance. He was jovial and trusting, however, which was the beginning of his downfall. His common trust in people was believed to be what caused his murder, most commonly theorised to have been his uncle Louis. Whether Louis had pushed the young King himself remains a mystery, as there were no witnesses to the fall, though he may have come to trust the assassin atop the walls. Foul play was almost certainly the cause however, as there were barriers along those walls to prevent an accidental fall. Charles was well-loved by the lords and the common people alike. There was some speculation as to whether the young King may have been homosexual, as at an age when the physicians proclaimed that he should begin to show some interest in women, he did not. Titles and Heraldry Titles and Styles * 8th January 1496 - 14th April 1499: ''Son Altesse, Charles d'Orleans, Comte de Chalons'' * 14th April 1499 - 4th June 1501: ''Son Altesse Royale, Charles d'Orleans, Duc d'Orleans'' * 4th June 1501 - 19th August 1510: ''Sa Majeste Tres Chretienne, le Roi''